My Color Music

You’ve got to admit … music just sounds better with chords. And in our last song, it was pretty fun to move between two different chords. But things would have been a lot easier to play if our left hand didn’t have to move so much.

I mean, when we go from playing a C major chord to playing a G major chord in the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” our fingers have to travel pretty far down the keyboard. And that can make things a little difficult.

So to work around this issue, musicians sometimes rearrange the notes of a chord. That way, they can easily change chords by moving just a couple of fingers. To see what I mean, check out the following versions of the G major chord:

All three of these chords are actually the same. We can play the same G major chord as “1-3-5” … or as “3-5-1” … or even as “5-1-3.” It really doesn’t matter. We simply call the different versions of this chord “inversions.”

Just like in scales, the strongest and most defining note of a chord is its tonic note (or “root”). And when we play a chord with its root at the bottom, we say it’s in “root position.” For example, the root position of the G major chord is played as “1-3-5” … or G-B-D. This basic arrangement of notes is the most common way to play any chord.

But chord inversions are also pretty popular. And you’ll see them a lot in music. For example, we can easily play the “first inversion” of this G major chord by moving B (note 3) to the bottom. Or we could play the same chord in its “second inversion” by moving D (note 5) to the bottom. Either way, we’re still playing the same G major chord … which you can hear as we play through the following song.

Just like before, our left hand simply moves between a C major chord and a G major chord. But because the G major chord is played in its first inversion (with B—note 3—on the bottom), our fingers have to move a lot less. The shift between the two chords takes much less effort. And that makes the song easier to play.

To get an even better feel for how chord inversions work, try playing the following chords in each key. Just like before, we’re still just playing the same basic major chords. Only now, we’re giving our hands (and brains) a little more exercise. Remember to focus on your fingers and the notes as you play. And don’t forget to stop and smile every once in a while … because your friends are going to be jealous of your cool new skills….

Pop quiz, y’all. What was the first thing that was ever recorded in audio? Since we’re all music fans here, then it’s good to know a little history. Was the first line:

a)  “Oh, Romeo. Oh, Romeo. Where for art thou, Romeo?”
b)  “Mary Had a Little Lamb … whose fleece was white as snow.”
c)  “There here, I tell you … the aliens! They’re here!”

Well, if you guessed option (b), then you are correct … and you get five points. When Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, he immediately gained worldwide fame. And the first words he spoke into his new recording machine were “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The same lyrics of the song we just played. (We’re making history, people!)

Edison’s new invention was so unexpected to the public that it seemed almost magical. In fact, he even became known “The Wizard of Menlo Park” (which was the name of the town he lived in). His first phonograph machine recorded on tinfoil wrapped around a grooved cylinder. And to be honest, the sound quality was pretty bad. But hey, it was radically new technology at the time … so it blew people’s minds away.

Along with the phonograph, Thomas Edison also invented some really strange stuff. Like the motion-picture camera, the light bulb, and even the microphone. In other words, he was a smart dude. In fact, I’d even say he was one of the best. Because his work changed the world … and it made modern music possible.

I mean, think about … without Edison, we wouldn’t have music videos, stage lighting, stereos, or microphones. And that’s why he definitely ranks right up there with the greatest gods of music.

After you’ve had a little practice, it’s easy to add chords to any melody. You just have to play the melody with your right … and hit the chords with your left hand. It’s as simple as that. And this combination of notes makes our music sound a lot more interesting.

But things get even more interesting when we change chords in a song. After all, the C major chord isn’t the only game in town. We can play all sorts of chords to create some very cools sounds. For example, check out the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb” below. By adding an extra G major chord to the mix, everything sounds a little better.

Now that we’ve added another chord, our left hand gets to move a little more throughout the song. And it’s kind of fun. Instead of keeping our fingers in place over the C major chord, we get to move back and forth between C major and G major … like this:

Both chords have the same note pattern of “1-3-5,” so we can keep our left hand in the same basic shape. We just have to move our hands quickly enough to play the correct chord at the start of each measure. Don’t worry if you need to glance down every once in a while … to make sure you’re hands are moving to the right place.

Just like before, try playing each part separately first. Start out by focusing on the melody. Once you’ve played it alone a couple of times, your right hand will be ready. Then play through the chords to get a feel for how they should sound. And when each hand can play its part, try putting them together. The end result will sound awesome.